text:
\section{Introduction}

Change detection (CD) is a well known task in satellite remote sensing: the goal is to recognise changes in imagery acquired on the same location but at different times.
The applications range from disaster assessment to long term trend monitoring \cite{zhao2017discriminative,zhang2016cd,gong2016coupled}.
Most of the past works on CD assume that the satellite images are homogeneous, i.e.\ the data were collected by the same kind of sensors and using the same configurations and modalities \cite{zhao2017discriminative,zhang2016cd,gong2016coupled}.
\iffalse Slight differences (e.g.\ in lightning conditions) might have been considered, but only in cases for which it was possible to compensate for them \cite{tuia2013graph}. \fi
Even though there are techniques which mitigate the issues due to misalignments \cite{zhang2016cd,marcos2016geospatial,liu2016unsupervised}, co-registration is another fundamental assumption for CD: every pixel of the image at time one and its corresponding pixel of the image at time two are assumed to represent the exact same location on the earth.

The development of new sensors and the improvement of their capabilities has eventually brought the remote sensing community to consider the use of satellite images acquired under heterogeneous conditions \cite{zhao2017discriminative,gong2016coupled,liu2017change,luppino2017clustering}.
This has led to methods based on heterogeneous sources of data \cite{zhao2017discriminative,zhang2016cd,liu2017change,mercier2008conditional,prendes2015new,liu2018change}, also referred to as multi-source \cite{gong2016coupled, tuia2016multi}, multi-modal \cite{marcos2016geospatial}, multi-sensor or cross-sensor \cite{liu2016unsupervised,storvik2009combination,volpi2015spectral,touati2018energy} and information unbalanced data \cite{su2017deep}.
As already reviewed in \cite{gong2016coupled}, there is not a unique way to group CD methods.
However, the distinction between techniques aimed at homogeneous and heterogeneous data is clear.
In the latter case, the assumptions that the same physical quantities are measured, classes have always the same signatures, and data follow the same statistical behaviour are no longer valid \cite{luppino2017clustering}.
Without any additional steps, traditional homogeneous CD techniques cannot handle this \cite{luppino2017clustering,liu2018change}.
To overcome the problem, a possible preliminary step is either project data from both times into a common domain \cite{gong2016coupled,tuia2016multi,storvik2009combination,volpi2015spectral} or transfer data from the time one to the time two domain \cite{mercier2008conditional,liu2018change}.
These methodologies are related to topics such as domain adaptation, data transformation and transfer learning \cite{marcos2016geospatial,liu2017change,liu2018change,tuia2016multi,khan2017forest}.
Post-classification comparison represents an exception: the best classifier for the pre-event data and the best one for the post-event data are selected, then the classification maps are compared to find the pixels which do not belong to the same class at both times.
Clearly, the performance with this approach depends highly on the choice and the design of the two classifiers, as well as on the quality and the size of the training set \cite{zhao2017discriminative}.
The exponential increase of interest in deep learning has also lead to the development of novel methods based on deep learning architectures, both in the homogeneous \cite{khan2017forest,lyu2016learning} and in the heterogeneous case \cite{zhao2017discriminative,zhang2016cd,su2017deep}.
Most of these methods are examples of feature learning, since they exploit the capability of e.g. convolutional neural networks (and especially stacked denoising autoencoders) to infer spatial information from the data and consequently to learn a new representation of it.

In this work, we suggest a simple, yet effective methodology to perform CD with heterogeneously acquired data.
It consists of training a regression function to predict how every pixel at time one would have been if it was acquired by a second sensor at time two, and vice versa.
We will refer to this methodology as \textit{image regression}, a term which has on some occasions been used in the CD literature \cite{lunetta1999remote,singh1989review,mas1999monitoring}.
Once the predictions of the images are computed, homogenenous CD methods can be applied to obtain the map of changes.
In particular, we consider three supervised methods to perform the regression: Gaussian processes, support vector machines, and random forests.
Moreover, the homogeneous pixel transformation method recently proposed by Liu et al.\ \cite{liu2018change} is chosen as a representative of the state-of-the-art.
As main contribution, we evaluate the performance of the different regression methods in the proposed framework.
By testing a selection of both well-established and more recent regression methods on two different data sets, we evaluate the consistency of their performance, as well as their pros and cons, helping the user to choose the most suitable approach according to requirements, such as best performance in detection, easiest tuning of the hyperparameters, shortest training and test time.
The remainder of this article is the following: Section \ref{sec:method} introduces the reader to the methodology, the notation, and the regression methods listed above.
Results on two data sets are presented in Section \ref{sec:results}.
Section \ref{sec:concl} concludes the paper.

\section{Methodology}\label{sec:method}

We follow the notation adopted in \cite{liu2018change}: the two images represent the same region but are acquired by different sensors at a different times and are denoted as $\boldsymbol{X}$ and $\boldsymbol{Y}$, respectively.
A limited part of the image has changed between time one and time two.
A training data set $\mathcal{T}$ of $M$ corresponding pixel pairs, $\mathcal{T}=\{\left(\boldsymbol{x}_m,\boldsymbol{y}_m\right)\}_{m=1}^M$, is manually selected from areas not affected by changes in the two images.
According to \cite{liu2018change}, this provision of training data is not a strong requirement, although it prompts user interaction.
The training data $\mathcal{T}$ allows us to learn a regression function $f^{(1)}$ such that
 \begin{equation}
 \boldsymbol{y}_m = f^{(1)}\left(\boldsymbol{x}_m\right) = \boldsymbol{\hat{y}}_m + \epsilon^{(1)}_m, \quad \ m=1,\dots,M
 \end{equation}
where $\boldsymbol{\hat{y}}_m$ is the dependent variable, $\boldsymbol{x}_m$ is the regressor, and $\epsilon^{(1)}_m$ is the residual.
We then train the reverse regression equation
 \begin{equation}
 \boldsymbol{x}_m = f^{(2)}\left(\boldsymbol{y}_m\right) = \boldsymbol{\hat{x}}_m + \epsilon^{(2)}_m, \quad \ m=1,\dots,M
 \end{equation}
in which $\boldsymbol{\hat{x}}_m$ is predicted starting from the regressor $\boldsymbol{y}_m$.
With these two functions it is possible to predict $\boldsymbol{\hat{Y}}$, i.e.\ the image which would have been obtained if sensor $\mathcal{Y}$ had observed the reality at time one, and $\boldsymbol{\hat{X}}$, the image of the reality at time two which would have been acquired by sensor $\mathcal{X}$.
Once the two predictions are computed, conventional change metrics such as image differences or ratios can be applied to highlight the differences between the original images and the corresponding predicted ones.
There is a plethora of more complex and more effective homogeneous CD techniques which could be applied at this stage, but the main goal of this work is to compare the image regression methods applied to obtain the predicted images.
The two-way regression can be referred to as an ensemble approach where two weaker results are combined to obtain a stronger and more reliable outcome.

Let the distance image be defined as $$d(\cdot,\cdot):\mathbf{R}^{n1 \times n2 \times P} \times \mathbf{R}^{n1 \times n2 \times P} \longrightarrow \mathbf{R}^{n1 \times n2},$$ i.e.\ a pixel-wise distance between two images of size $n1\! \times\! n2$ and $P$ channels.
When the distance images, $d(\boldsymbol{X},\boldsymbol{\hat{X}})$ and $d(\boldsymbol{Y},\boldsymbol{\hat{Y}})$, are normalised and combined, distances that are consistently high in both images will indicate high probability of change, whereas false alarms due to a spurious high value in one of the distances will be suppressed.
We choose to combine the distances by a simple average.
Before normalising, it is reasonable to clip the distances beyond some standard deviations of the mean value (e.g.\ $d_i > \bar{d}+4\sigma_d$), so that outliers do not compromise such a step.
At this stage, noise filtering can be applied if necessary.
Finally, a change map can be achieved by thresholding.
Fig.\ \ref{fig:method} illustrates the methodology.
In the following we briefly describe the regression methods considered in this work to evaluate $f^{(1)}$ and $f^{(2)}$.

\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{Figures_method.jpg}
\caption{Image regression: the two functions $f^{(1)}$ and $f^{(2)}$ are trained starting from the same data points, two predicted images are obtained, and finally two difference images are achieved.}
\label{fig:method}
\end{figure}

\subsection{Gaussian Process Regression}

A Gaussian process (GP) is a collection of random variables, any finite subset of which have a joint Gaussian distribution.
It is completely specified by its mean function $\boldsymbol{m}\left(\boldsymbol{x}\right)$ and covariance (kernel) function $k_{\boldsymbol{x}_i,\boldsymbol{x}_j}=k\left(\boldsymbol{x}_i,\boldsymbol{x}_j\right)$.
For regression purposes, zero mean GPs are most often used \cite{rasmussen2004gaussian}.
Given a training set of $M$ input vectors (arranged in rows) $\boldsymbol{X}\! \in\! \mathbf{R}^{M\! \times\! P}$, the corresponding set of target vectors $\boldsymbol{Y}\! \in\! \mathbf{R}^{M\! \times\! Q}$, and a set of $N$ new observed vectors $\boldsymbol{X}_*\! \in\! \mathbf{R}^{N\! \times\! P}$, the joint distribution of the training vectors $\boldsymbol{Y}$ and the sought regressed vectors $\boldsymbol{\hat{Y}}\! \in\! \mathbf{R}^{N\! \times\! Q}$, conditioned on the input data $\boldsymbol{X}$ and $\boldsymbol{X}_*$, is
 \begin{equation}
\left[ \begin{tabular}{c}
    $\boldsymbol{Y}$ \\
    $\boldsymbol{\hat{Y}}$
\end{tabular}\right] \arrowvert\boldsymbol{X},\boldsymbol{X}_*
\sim \mathcal{N} \left(\boldsymbol{0},\left[\begin{tabular}{c c}
    $\boldsymbol{K}_{\boldsymbol{X},\boldsymbol{X}}$ &  $\boldsymbol{K}_{\boldsymbol{X},\boldsymbol{X_*}}$\\
    $\boldsymbol{K}_{\boldsymbol{X_*},\boldsymbol{X}}$ &  $\boldsymbol{K}_{\boldsymbol{X_*},\boldsymbol{X_*}}$
\end{tabular}\right]\right).
 \end{equation}
where $\boldsymbol{K}_{\boldsymbol{X},\boldsymbol{X_*}}$ is the matrix whose $(i,j)$th entry is the value of the covariance on the $i$th row of $\boldsymbol{X}$ and the $j$th row of $\boldsymbol{X}_*$, and $\boldsymbol{K}_{\boldsymbol{X},\boldsymbol{X}}$, $\boldsymbol{K}_{\boldsymbol{X_*},\boldsymbol{X}}$, and $\boldsymbol{K}_{\boldsymbol{X_*},\boldsymbol{X_*}}$ have similar meanings.
Thus, the following posterior distribution is derived (see \cite{rasmussen2004gaussian} for details):
 \begin{equation}
\begin{split}
\boldsymbol{\hat{Y}}\! \mid\! \boldsymbol{X_*},\boldsymbol{X},\boldsymbol{Y}\! \sim\! \mathcal{N}\! \big(\! & \boldsymbol{K}_{\boldsymbol{X_*},\boldsymbol{X}}\cdot\boldsymbol{K}_{\boldsymbol{X},\boldsymbol{X}}^{-1}\cdot\boldsymbol{Y}, \\ & \boldsymbol{K}_{\boldsymbol{X_*},\boldsymbol{X_*}}-\boldsymbol{K}_{\boldsymbol{X_*},\boldsymbol{X}}\cdot\boldsymbol{K}_{\boldsymbol{X},\boldsymbol{X}}^{-1}\cdot\boldsymbol{K}_{\boldsymbol{X},\boldsymbol{X_*}}\big)
\end{split}
 \end{equation}
The two main factors affecting the quality of the regression are the choice of kernel function and its hyperparameters.
In this work, we opted for the commonly used radial basis function (RBF)
 \begin{equation}
k_{\boldsymbol{x}_i,\boldsymbol{x}_j}=\sigma_f^2\exp\left(-\frac{1}{2}\left(\boldsymbol{x}_i-\boldsymbol{x}_j\right)^TL\left(\boldsymbol{x}_i-\boldsymbol{x}_j\right)\right)\,,
 \end{equation}
where $\boldsymbol{\theta} = \left\{L,\sigma_f^2\right\}$ is the set of hyperparameters, with signal variance $\sigma_f^2$ and $L = l^{-2}I$, if the length-scale parameter $l$ is a scalar (isotropic kernel), or $L = \text{diag}\left(\boldsymbol{l}^{-2}\right)$, if $\boldsymbol{l}$ is a vector (anisotropic kernel) \cite{rasmussen2004gaussian}.
Concerning the optimisation of $\boldsymbol{\theta}$, a gradient ascent is performed to maximise the marginal likelihood $\mathcal{P}\left(\boldsymbol{Y}\mid\boldsymbol{X},\boldsymbol{\theta}\right)$.
A weak point of this optimisation is that it might lead to a local maximum instead of the global one, so it is recommended to iterate the procedure several times starting from different random points in the hyperparameter space $\Omega_{\boldsymbol{\theta}}$.

\subsection{Multi-output Support Vector Regression}

Support vector machines (SVMs) are a very well known machine learning approach used for classification and regression.
By solving the so-called dual problem, it is possible to find the best separating or fitting curve with respect to a loss function that accounts for misclassification or reconstruction error and with respect to a regularisation parameter which defines the width of a soft margin around such a curve. In addition, the support vectors, i.e.\ the training points that define the
margin, are highlighted from the rest of the training set.

Instead of coping with multi-output problems all at once, the solution usually adopted is to tune a different SVM for each regressand variable.
Therefore, the standard implementations of support vector regression (SVR) are designed to predict a single output feature, ignoring the potentially nonlinear relations across the target features \cite{tuia2011multioutput}.
Tuia et al.\ \cite{tuia2011multioutput} proposed a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) SVR method to overcome this limitation. During the training phase, it aims to minimise the cost function
 \begin{equation}
L_p\left(\boldsymbol{W},\boldsymbol{b}\right) = \frac{1}{2}\sum_{q=1}^Q\parallel\boldsymbol{w}_q\parallel^2+C\sum_{m=1}^M L\left(\mu_m\right)
 \end{equation}
where
\begin{align}
\label{eq:errorterms}
 L \left(\mu_m\right) & =
\begin{cases}
    0 & \mu_m < \epsilon \\
    \mu_m^2-2\mu_m\epsilon+\epsilon^2 & \mu_m \geq \epsilon
\end{cases} \ , \\
 \mu_m & = \ \parallel\boldsymbol{e}_m\parallel \ =\sqrt{\boldsymbol{e}_m^T\boldsymbol{e}_m} \ , \\
 \boldsymbol{e}_m^T & = \boldsymbol{y}_m^T\! -\phi\! \left(\boldsymbol{x}_m\right)^T\boldsymbol{W}\! -\boldsymbol{b}^T.
\end{align}
Here, $\boldsymbol{W}=\left[\boldsymbol{w}_1,\dots,\boldsymbol{w}_Q\right],\, \boldsymbol{w_q}\! \in\! \mathbf{R}^{P}$ and $\boldsymbol{b}=\left[q_1,\dots,q_Q\right]$ are the coefficients and the bias of the linear combination of the data points $\boldsymbol{x}_m$ transferred in the Hilbert space by the kernel function $\phi$.
The penalty factor $C$ sets the trade-off between the regularisation term and the sum of the error terms $L\left(\mu_m\right)$.
If it is too large, nonseparable points would highly penalise the cost function and too many data points would turn into support vectors, causing overfitting. Vice versa, a small $C$ would lead to underfitting.
$\epsilon$ is half the width of the insensitivity zone.
This zone delimits a "tube" around the approximated function and all the training data points within the insensitivity zone do not contribute to the cost function (see Eq.\ \ref{eq:errorterms}).
For too small values of $\epsilon$, too many data points would be considered as support vectors (overfitting), the generalisation performance would be affected and the variance of the fitted curve would be too large.
On the contrary, a too large $\epsilon$ would cause underfitting and the overall accuracy would be low.
Another critical hyperparameter is the width $\sigma$ of the RBF kernel $\phi$.
To select the right combination of hyperparameters $\boldsymbol{\theta} = \left\{C,\epsilon,\sigma\right\}$, a grid search for the smallest cross-validation error or the minimization of an error bound can be applied.

\subsection{Random Forest Regression}

Random forests (RF) were proposed by Breiman in \cite{breiman2001random} to perform both classification and regression, by exploiting the simplicity of random decision trees and the robustness of ensemble methods. From now on, only regression will be considered, but for classification purposes the approach is similar.

A RF consists on $T$ trees, at whose nodes $m$ randomly selected features are compared to random thresholds (e.g.\ $\text{feat}_1 > \text{thr}_1 \ \& \dots \& \ \text{feat}_m > \text{thr}_m)$.
In each tree, the training data points are divided over the branches according to these conditions, and the trees expand until only one data point is contained in each of the final nodes (leaves).
Thus, the corresponding training vectors $\boldsymbol{y}_m$ are assigned to the leaves.
During the test phase an input vector $\boldsymbol{x_*}$ goes through each tree and reaches one of the leaves, giving as output the assigned training vector $\boldsymbol{y}_m$.
Finally, the average of the $T$ outputs is computed, thereby obtaining the final regressed vector $\boldsymbol{\hat{y}}$.

To generalise better, every tree is trained on a bootstrap sample drawn from the training set, and a randomly drawn subset of features (of fixed cardinality) is used on each node of each tree.
The validation is carried out through out-of-bag estimation \cite{breiman2001random}.
Moreover, the behaviour of a RF can be controlled by tuning three parameters: the size of the forest (i.e.\ the number of trees $T$), the number of features $m$ considered in every node, and the depth of the trees.
A common remedy against overfitting is to prune the trees by leaving $p > 1$ data points in each leaf node, which will give in output the average of their corresponding training vectors $\boldsymbol{y}_m$.
Concerning the number of features considered at every node, in \cite{breiman2001random} it is suggested by empirical results to set $m=\lfloor\frac{\log P}{\log 2}\rfloor$, where $P$ is the dimension of the vectors $\boldsymbol{y}$.
It is common practice to follow the rule of thumb: $m=\lfloor\nicefrac{P}{3}\rfloor$ \cite{breiman2001random}.
However, there are no practical rules to choose the size of the forest.
One may think that for a larger number of trees the outcomes become better, but \cite{breiman2001random} proved that at some point the overall accuracy saturates due to the rise of a strong correlation between the trees.
Therefore, a compromise between gained accuracy and computational load must be found.

\subsection{Homogeneous Pixel Transformation}

The homogeneous pixel transformation (HPT) method proposed by Liu et al.\ \cite{liu2018change} is a kernel regression based on the K-nearest neighbours (KNN) of each data point.
This technique recalls the distance weighted averaging or locally weighted regression previously presented in \cite{atkeson1997locally}, where many related aspects are also studied: possible kernels, distance measures, choices of the bandwidth, denoising techniques, and outlier detection.
For every data point in the first image $\boldsymbol{x}_i$, the $K$ nearest neighbours among the training vectors $\boldsymbol{x}_m \in \mathcal{T}$ are sought for. The regression consists of the weighted sum
 \begin{equation}
 \boldsymbol{\hat{y}}_i = \sum_{k=1}^{K}w_{i,k}\cdot \boldsymbol{y}_{i,k}\ ,
 \end{equation}
 %
 where
 %
  \begin{equation}
 w_{i,k} = w\left(\boldsymbol{x}_i,\boldsymbol{x}_k\right) = e^{-\gamma d_{i,k}}\ .
 \end{equation}
$d_{i,k}$ is the Euclidean distance between $\boldsymbol{x}_i$ and its $k^{th}$ nearest neighbour $\boldsymbol{x}_k$, $\boldsymbol{y}_{i,k}$ is the corresponding vector of $\boldsymbol{x}_k$ in $\mathcal{T}$, whereas the kernel width $\gamma$ regulates how strongly the farthest neighbours are penalised.
If $\gamma$ is too small, the addends tend to be equally weighted and the sum is close to an average, if $\gamma$ is too large, few main addends contribute to the sum whilst the rest are heavily penalised.
Before computing the weights, a relative normalisation of the distances is applied:
 \begin{equation}
 d_{i,k} = \frac{\left\Arrowvert\boldsymbol{x}_i-\boldsymbol{x}_k\right\Arrowvert}{\max_k\left\Arrowvert\boldsymbol{x}_i-\boldsymbol{x}_k\right\Arrowvert}\ .
 \end{equation}
 %
The normalisation in \cite{liu2018change} is defined as relative, because it considers the maximum among the distances between the data point $\boldsymbol{x}_i$ and its neighbours.
However, while testing our implementation, we found that it is better to perform an absolute normalisation, thus seeking the maximum among all the computed distances.

\begin{figure*}[h!]

\begin{subfigure}[t]{0.19\textwidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth,keepaspectratio,trim ={6.3cm 4.9cm 6.3cm 2.3cm}, clip]{Figures_Texas_GP.jpg}
\caption{GP}
\label{fig:subim1}
\end{subfigure}
\begin{subfigure}[t]{0.19\textwidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth,keepaspectratio, trim = {6.3cm 4.9cm 6.3cm 2.3cm}, clip]{Figures_Texas_MIMOSVR.jpg}
\caption{SVR}
\label{fig:subim2}
\end{subfigure}
\begin{subfigure}[t]{0.19\textwidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth,keepaspectratio, trim = {6.3cm 4.9cm 6.3cm 2.3cm}, clip]{Figures_Texas_RF.jpg}
\caption{RF}
\label{fig:subim3}
\end{subfigure}
\begin{subfigure}[t]{0.19\textwidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth,keepaspectratio, trim = {6.3cm 4.9cm 6.3cm 2.3cm}, clip]{Figures_Texas_Liu.jpg}
\caption{HPT}
\label{fig:subim4}
\end{subfigure}
\begin{subfigure}[t]{0.19\textwidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth,keepaspectratio, trim = {6.3cm 4.9cm 6.3cm 2.3cm}, clip]{Figures_Texas_Ground_Truth.jpg}
\caption{Ground Truth}
\label{fig:subim5}
\end{subfigure}

\caption{Distance images obtained by applying the proposed approach with different regression methods: (a) Gaussian process regression, (b) MIMO support vector regression, (c) random forest regression, (d) homogeneous pixel transformation \cite{liu2018change}, (e) ground truth.}
\label{fig:dataset1}
\end{figure*}

\section{Experimental results}\label{sec:results}

The performance of the CD framework, configured with the proposed regression methods, is evaluated on two different data sets in terms of accuracy and computational speed.
Accuracy is measured in terms of \emph{area under the curve} (AUC), a value between $0.5$ (poor) and $1$ (optimal) which indicates the area below the receiver operating characteristic curve, which plots the false positive rate against the true positive rate.
The measured speed is the elapsed time during computation of the regressions in both the directions, starting from the training phase and ending after the test phase.
It must be pointed out that two of the methods are implemented in Python libraries (GP and RF), whereas the code provided by \cite{tuia2011multioutput} for the MIMO SVR method is written in MATLAB, and so is our implementation of the HPT method.
Therefore, an exact comparison of execution time of each algorithm is not possible, even though the two programming languages yield similar performance.
Nevertheless, the running times are indicators that can help us rank the four algorithms in terms of speed.

\subsection{Forest fire in Texas}

The first data set is composed of a multispectral image acquired by Landsat 5 TM before a forest fire in Bastrop County, Texas, during September-October, 2011.
An EO-1 ALI multispectral acquisition after the event completes the data set\footnote{Distributed by LP DAAC, \url{http://lpdaac.usgs.gov}}.
Both images are optical with $7$ and $10$ channels, respectively, some of which cover the same spectral bands, so the signatures of the classes involved are very similar.
Among the possible heterogeneous CD scenarios, this is one of the easiest.
The ground truth of the event (see Fig.\ \ref{fig:subim5}) is provided by Volpi et al.\ \cite{volpi2015spectral}.
The training set (roughly 2\% of the total data points) is selected manually with several rectangular patches taken from areas not affected by the fire event.
In a preliminary study phase, the hyperparameters of the GPs are set after only one iteration of the gradient ascent.
For the SVR,  $C=1$, $\epsilon=0.1$, and $\sigma=1$ are set following \cite{tuia2011multioutput}.
Concerning the RF, $T = 128$, $m=[\nicefrac{P}{3}]$, $p = 5$ are chosen after a coarse grid search on $T$ and $p$.
Last, the HPT is tuned by setting $K = 300$ and $\gamma = 100$, as empirically found in \cite{liu2018change}.

After the combination of the two image differences, a $3 \times 3$ median filter is applied to remove salt and pepper noise.
In Fig.\ \ref{fig:dataset1}, the outcomes of the median filter for the four methods are depicted, showing how well they all behave.
The only exception is the HPT, which tends to overfit, as can be noticed in Fig.\ \ref{fig:subim4}.
One example is the black rectangular patch on the left of the area interested by the event, which actually corresponds to one of the selected patches of the training set.
However, all the AUCs reach values above 98\%, showing how well all four methods tackle the image regression task.
On one hand, this image pair is not especially challenging for the proposed approaches.
On the other hand, conventional CD methods designed for homogeneous data would be unfeasible here.
Hence, this result demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed regression-based approach to heterogeneous CD.

\subsection{Flood in California}

\begin{figure*}[h!]

\begin{subfigure}[t]{0.24\textwidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth,height=1.8\linewidth,trim ={6.3cm 4.9cm 6.3cm 2.3cm}, clip]{Figures_California_t1_L8.jpg}
\caption{Landsat 8 ($t1$)}
\label{fig2:subim1}
\end{subfigure}
\begin{subfigure}[t]{0.24\textwidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth,height=1.8\linewidth, trim = {6.3cm 4.9cm 6.3cm 2.3cm}, clip]{Figures_California_t2_S1A.jpg}
\caption{Sentinel-1A ($t2$)}
\label{fig2:subim2}
\end{subfigure}
\begin{subfigure}[t]{0.24\textwidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth,height=1.8\linewidth, trim = {6.3cm 4.9cm 6.3cm 2.3cm}, clip]{Figures_California_RATIO.jpg}
\caption{Ratio $\nicefrac{SAR_{t_1}}{SAR_{t_2}}$}
\label{fig2:subim3}
\end{subfigure}
\begin{subfigure}[t]{0.24\textwidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth,height=1.8\linewidth, trim = {6.3cm 4.9cm 6.3cm 2.3cm}, clip]{Figures_California_ROI_Cal_medfilt.jpg}
\caption{Ground Truth}
\label{fig2:subim4}
\end{subfigure}

\caption{Flood in California: (a) Landsat 8 ($t1$), (b) Sentinel-1A ($t2$), (c) Ratio between SAR intensities at $t1$ and $t2$, (d) ground truth.}
\label{fig2:dataset2}
\end{figure*}

The second data set represents a more challenging scenario, as it involves an optical image and a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image.
The image at time $1$ is a Landsat 8 acquisition covering Sutter County, California, on 5 January 2017\textsuperscript{1}
It is composed of $9$ channels covering the spectrum from deep blue to short-wave infrared, plus two long-wave infrared channels (Fig.\ \ref{fig2:subim1} shows the RGB channels).
Fig.\ \ref{fig2:subim2} shows the image acquired on 18 February 2017 by Sentinel-1A over the same scene, after the occurrence of a flood\footnote{Data processed by ESA, http://www.copernicus.eu/}.
The sensor uses two different polarisations (VV and VH), and the ratio between the two intensities completes the set of $3$ channels.
To obtain a reasonable ground truth without recourse to manual selection, we considered two other single-polarisation SAR images acquired approximately at the same times as the previous ones.
The normalised ratio between these images is depicted in Fig.\ \ref{fig2:subim3}, and the ground truth obtained by thresholding it at $0.5$ can be seen in Fig.\ \ref{fig2:subim4}.
The selection of an appropriate training set is not trivial.
There are many different kind of terrain involved, and excluding any of them might lead to poor results.
Therefore, the training set is drawn randomly from the parts of the images which are clearly distinguished as unchanged areas, to avoid to inadvertently exclude classes by a manual selection.
Again, the size of the set $\mathcal{T}$ is 2\% of the total image size.

The optimisation of the hyperparameters is carried out differently for every method.
Concerning the GP method, five iterations of the gradient ascent from random starting points are performed.
For the SVR method, a grid search on $\Omega_{\boldsymbol{\theta}}$ leads to selection of the best combination of $C$,$\epsilon$ and $\sigma$ after cross-validation.
A grid search for the RF hyperparameters investigates the values $T = \left\{32,64,128,256,512\right\}$ and $p = \left\{5,10,15,20\right\}$, while $m$ is kept equal to $\lfloor\nicefrac{P}{3}\rfloor$.
The same procedure is applied for the HPT over the values $K = \left\{16,32,64,128\right\}$ and $\gamma = \left\{10^{-2},\dots,10^{3}\right\}$.
A series of 100 runs is performed, each of these with a different training set, to evaluate the mean and standard deviation of the AUC and the training and test times for the four methods.
The results are summarised in Table \ref{tab:accuracy}.
\begin{table}[h!]
\centering
\caption{Mean and standard deviation of the AUC and the elapsed time for the four methods applied on the second data set.}
\label{tab:accuracy}
\begin{tabular}{ |c||c|c||c|c| }
\hline
\, & $m_{AUC}$ & $\sigma_{AUC}$ & $m_{t}$ & $\sigma_{t}$ \\
\hline
\hline
GP & $0.74692$ & $0.00043$ & $257.11$ & $1.47016$\\
\hline
RF  & $0.81680$ & $0.00541$ & $\boldsymbol{132.00}$ & $0.77075$\\
\hline
SVR  & $0.81299$ & $0.05455$ & $2024.58$ & $396.86244$\\
\hline
HPT  & $\boldsymbol{0.84001}$ & $0.01450$ & $924.91$ & $8.99086$\\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}

Similar results can be achieved by RF, SVR, and HPT.
On the contrary, the GP method produce worse results.
It could be thought that more iterations of the gradient ascent might lead to better solutions, but the consistency of the results throughout the whole series of runs suggests the opposite.
Instead, the main drawback of the SVR algorithm is the computing time.
Even a coarse grid search over the three hyper-parameters implicates a long training and validation phase.
Although it is capable of reaching peaks of $0.89$ for the AUC, it is also sensitive to the selection of the hyper-parameters.
This brings to a larger $\sigma_{AUC}$, and examples of low AUCs.
On the other hand, both the HPT and the RF method have their strong suit.
The former can reach better results, whereas the latter is computationally faster.
In Fig.\ \ref{fig:scatter_all}, the elapsed time vs AUC scatter plot for the series of runs supports the previous comments.
 \begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width = \linewidth, keepaspectratio]{Figures_California_scatter_test.jpg}
\caption{Elapsed time vs AUC scatter plot for GP (red), SVR (black), RF (green), and HPT (blue)}
\label{fig:scatter_all}
\end{figure}

Focusing on the RF, the scatter plot in Fig.\ \ref{fig:scatter_rf} shows that the computational time grows linearly with respect to the number of trees.
However, a larger $T$ does not necessarily provide benefits, as this example demonstrates.
Instead, smaller values of $m$ brings on average to better results, at the cost of small additional times.
Consequently, it can be recommended to not exaggerate with the pruning.
We also recall that, in many formulations of the RF approach, trees are not pruned at all.
About the HPT method, no significant trends are recognised in its scatter plot (which is not reported), suggesting that the best option is to select a small number of neighbours $K$ to reduce the amount of computations, and to perform a log-scale search on $\gamma$ to find the most suitable.
 \begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width = \linewidth, keepaspectratio]{Figures_California_scatter_rf.jpg}
\caption{Elapsed time vs AUC scatter plot for the RF: colors refer to different values of $T$ (see legend), whereas a bigger marker size denotes a larger number of considered features $m \in [5,10,15,20]$.}
\label{fig:scatter_rf}
\end{figure}

\section{Conclusions}\label{sec:concl}

In this paper, we proposed a CD framework based on image regression and evaluated the performance obtained using four different regression methods.
The experiments on two data sets proved the effectiveness of the methodology, especially for two of the regression algorithms.
Although the HPT method achieved the best results, RF regression proved capable of reaching close results with a shorter computation time.
A future work would be to investigate further the role of the hyperparameters, also on other data sets, and to experiment with smaller or more difficult training sets.
Another important subject of future research will be the development of an unsupervised version of the methodology.

\bibliographystyle{IEEEbib}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


Today in show business news: Emma Roberts has joined the Ryan Murphy family, CBS hires a Bad Teacher, and a glimpse of the next Vince Vaughn movie.
Here's a teaser trailer for Delivery Man, about a guy (Vince Vaughn) who finds out that he's fathered over 500 children through sperm donation. Wacky things ensue, I'm told. This used to be called Starbuck, like the Quebecois movie it's based on, but that title wouldn't really play, not in this coffee-mad, BSG-geeking country of ours. Weird fact: The guy who directed the French version also directed this one. Doesn't that sound boring? I mean, who is he, Michael Haneke? Make a different movie, man.


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Dress a pretty figure skater for her next show on the ice!
How to play the game "Figure Skater Dress Up Game"?
Figure skating dresses, tights, jewelry, and of course ice skates… like all of our girls' games, you have tons of different items to choose from here! Try out lots of different combinations of colors and styles until you've found a costume fit for a champion ice skater girl. If you love winter sports, try out all the girls' games we have right here on the site: you can dress up skiers and snowboarders, or maybe even play with penguins and polar bears!
You're clearly loving Figure Skater Dress Up - you should check out my pick of the best dress up games!


In this hilarious sequel to the popular Silly Doggy! we meet Lily again just as her mum finally agrees to buy her a pet - but it's not a doggy, it's a kitten! When things start to go wrong around the house, Lily is quick to blame her new little furry friend, but doesn't notice the much bigger and more dangerous feline that has taken up residence - a huge tiger.
Adam has illustrated many books, including Bottoms Up!, written by Jeanne Willis, which won the Red House Picture Book Award. He also writes his own picture books including Slam! which won the Norfolk Library Silver Award and Silly Doggy!, Lily's first adventure. Adam lives and works in Brighton, illustrating books for children of all ages.


This Flintoff by Jacamo fashion suit jacket is a seamless piece, tailored to suit any bodyshape. Wear it for any formal occasion. To look the part, mix and match some trousers from this range. This jacket is definitely a great addition to any wardrobe.


text:
https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2010/02/white-by-beating-best-heavyweight-of-all-time-ufc-110s-velasquez-title-fight-standby
White: By beating "best heavyweight of all time," UFC 110's Velasquez title-fight standby
February 21, 2010 3:10 pm ET
With a dominating victory over what he called "probably the best heavyweight of all time," UFC president Dana White has reiterated an earlier promise and said UFC 110 main-event winner Cain Velasquez is on standby for a title shot.
If the winner of next month's UFC 111 interim-title fight between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin is injured or sidelined, Velasquez instead gets the title with champion Brock Lesnar.
"We'll see what happens with Mir and Carwin – see who wins that – and if the guys come out unscathed, they'll fight for the title," White said after UFC 110 at Acer Arena in Sydney, New South Whales, Australia. "If not, then Cain Velasquez will get that slot."
As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported last week, Lesnar, who's been out of action since July 2009 due to a serious case of diverticulitis, could return at UFC 116, which is expected to take place July 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Velasquez likely would've been the title-fight standby even with a mediocre performance at the Feb. 20 UFC 110 event. However, he thoroughly dominated the former PRIDE and UFC champion, abandoned his usual wrestling skills, and instead kept the fight standing to floor Nogueira with the second part of a left-right combination.
"When I threw that right hand, it just went through him," Velasquez said. "That's all I felt. There was really no give. I just tried to follow it up with that left hook, and I saw him go down. I tried to capitalize on it. I tried not to get too anxious in there because I know he can take a lot of punishment and come back."
Velasquez quickly followed up the big blow with a ground-and-pound assault that prompted a stoppage at the 2:20 mark of the first round.
White said he's flabbergasted by the American Kickboxing Academy fighter's quick improvement from fight to fight.
"I didn't see it coming," White said. "I thought that was going to be a back-and-forth and entertaining fight, and Cain Velasquez went out and absolutely finished him and looked completely dominant and looked, in my opinion, better than he's ever looked. The kid gets better every time he fights.
In a recent MMAjunkie.com/"Inside MMA" weekly poll, we asked readers to choose the UFC fighter most likely to defeat Lesnar. Five choices were available, yet Velasquez ranked fifth – behind Carwin, Mir, Nogueira and Dos Santos with just 11 percent of the vote.
And though Velasquez (8-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) now has earned knockout victories in seven of his eight pro wins, opponents usually are more concerned with his wrestling skills. However, Velasquez said that his hands won't always play such a prominent role and that he may need simply to wear down other opponents.
"I just have to fight a smart fight," he said. "Definitely, with those kind of guys – big, strong – you really have to be aware of their power. I think it's always going to be a war, and you have to really fight until the end. You've got to really tire them out, but that's easier said than done. But that's how I see me going up against them is really trying to get them tired and edge out the win at the end.
Regardless of which heavyweight get the first shot at Lesnar, White is just happy to have options, including Velasquez.
"The heavyweight division is more exciting than it's been in years," he said. "It just keeps getting better and better."
For the latest on UFC 110 and UFC 116, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


*This class is for students who have received level one Reiki training in the Usui lineage. If you are interested in studying level one with me before this date so you can attend this class, please let me know. We are creating a group of Reiki healers on the coastside and Pacifica and gather quarterly to offer Reiki shares to the public. If you are interested in learning to heal with energy and intention join us!
Jane is the founder of Joy of Being and has been teaching Reiki since 2009. She has been offering her healing gifts since 2002. Jane is passionate about teaching people how to experience and actualize Joy in being alive. She offers one and one sessions, ceremonies, art classes, and shamanic training programs. Please visit www.joyofbeing-mb.com for more information.


text:
Julian Ritter's blog
1939 Golden Gate International Exposition
Julian Ritter's Ninety Foot Mural
By Greg Autry
In 1939 the Golden Gate International Exposition opened on February 18th, on a manmade mudflat island in San Francisco Bay, called Treasure Island. The `Theme' of the overall Fair was "Pageant of the Pacific." It would come to be called "The Magic City," and lasted for only two seasons. The Great Expo was intended to celebrate the opening of the recently completed, Golden Gate Bridge and The Bay Bridge, which were to bring great revelations to San Francisco. The Buildings of the Expo were monumental, reminiscent of the `White City' of Chicago's World Fair held in 1893. At night the building were lit in multi-colors and could be seen a hundred miles away.
Julian Ritter painting a Mural for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition.
From the Julian Ritter Estate Archives.
In the 1930's, the `WPA' (Works Progress Administration), or the `Second New Deal' would also act to provide jobs to the great many unemployed workers throughout the Country. The `Federal Project Number One' employed artists, writers, musicians, actors, and directors from around the country, instituted with the intent of getting America back on the road to financial well-being after a decade of suffering the greatest financial Depression in the country's history. The WPA would interact with State and local agencies nationwide, to implement large Arts Programs. Applications from artists were received in the thousands, from around the country.
Julian was out of work in 1938 with little or no prospects. When Julian needed money, he would load a bunch of paintings into his car and head to art galleries to peddle his wares. Thus was the method which began several successful relationships with Galleries in San Francisco, and a `Peddler' Julian always remained. He is also aware of all the hype and publicity surrounding the upcoming Golden Gate International Exposition to be held on San Francisco's Treasure Island and he definitely intended to seek out opportunities. Although he did not know how he would do so.
In its infancy, the American Scene Movement is a somewhat depressing, albeit realistic, view of working class Americans. Fueled by Prohibition and the Great Depression, the gaiety and frivolity of the 1920's had long given way to lives of hardship, self doubt, and a preponderance of despair. This background, magnifying the harsh realities of Julian's upbringing and early childhood, makes it hard to imagine anything but dark emotionally depressing figures emanating from Julian's imagination around that time.
American Scene Painting, was intended to convey a sense of nationalism and romanticism about everyday life in 1930's America, from small town and rural America, to the big cities. Some consider the American Scene Movement, as a precursor to `Modernism'. Painting Murals, in buildings and Expositions, was coming into vogue as a helpful way to employ artists. Many artists were being influenced by the likes of Fresco Muralist Diego Rivera. Rivera became known for making political statements in Fresco's, painted in the perfect spaces for such statements, public buildings!
Julian was young, full of life, and confident in his abilities. Never afraid of hard work, Julian took pride in his working class nature and background. Beverly Hills architect Mark Daniels, is in charge of the "Mines, Minerals, and Machinery Building," at the GGIE. Julian jumps at the opportunity to paint a major statement piece when offered by Mark Daniels. Daniels is impressed with Julian's repertoire of paintings and pen and ink sketches when the two first meet.
Julian never applied to the State, nor to the WPA, as an artist, however though Mark Daniels a Purchase Order is issued in December of 1938 to `Julian Ritter,' by the `STATE OF CALIFORNIA-BUREAU OF PURCHASES' which states as a scope of work;
`To furnish complete, install and in place on Treasure Island in the Building known as "Mines, Metals and Machinery Building", a minimum of 1,000 square feet of murals depicting the mining industry in the United States. All work including sketches and finished murals, are subject to approval by the California Commission for the Golden Gate International Exposition.'
Julian immediately likes Daniels because he is `hands on' and not afraid to "get in and get dirty." Daniels likes Julian's wit, and quick understanding of the process. Julian works diligently on paper sketches and painting color studies for the various figures he envisions. Julian works to incorporate Daniel's ideas and themes, with his own sense of Spirit and Daniels likes how amazingly fast and accurate Julian's drawings are, and is amazed at the number of paintings Julian turns out as `Color Study's.'
Some of the Studies were as large as 36 x 24 inches, masterfully painted, and would remain in Julian's private collection for years; Julian unwilling to part with them until that is financial necessity required selling them.
24 x 36 Study, Oil Painting by Julian Ritter, titled `Steel Worker,' Private Collection.
An artist himself, and a highly successful architect, Daniels sees Julian's work as more than just superb draughtsmanship. As the mural unfolds in paint, he recognizes the true Genius of Julian Ritter. Julian would only have two months to do preliminary sketches, paint some studies to get color palette and details approved, and to complete the mural. When completed it was over 10 feet tall and almost one-hundred feet long. At this time there are no photos of the actual mural which have been found. There is one photo from a newspaper article at the time seen above, depicting Julian at work, painting the mural. One study painting [above] has been located in a private collection, which was sold by Julian in 1948.
For the mural, judging by the little available evidence now we see that Julian created figures of strong, hard, rugged working men in the great industries which would define the USA in the first half of the Twentieth century. Rather than portraying the resentfulness of the hard times as so many other American Scene muralists, Julian's figures are infused with men, happy to be working and swelled with that camaraderie that groups of workers, and teams of men come to understand. There is an emotional uplift is Julian's work and Architect Mark Daniels see's the Spirit of Julian's soul transfused into his work. Mark Daniel's was also a man of distinction. With their working relationship blossoming, Daniels gave Julian additional jobs to paint for the exposition, as well as introducing him to prominent people in San Francisco, people who came to buy more of Julian's paintings.
It was reported that all of the Art on Display at the `GoldenGate International Exposition' would amount to $ 20,000,000.00. Whether accurate or not, the Exposition was instrumental in propelling Julian into the ranks of commercial free lance professional artist. The 1939 GGIE would result directly and indirectly to Julian's success and the spread of his name and his work, throughout the United States.
Because of his `Mural' for the Exposition he also got similar work for restaurants, hospitals, and even real estate offices. Although there is scant record today, he is known to have produced murals, and wall paintings, for several San Francisco hotels of an illicit nature. Bordellos in North Beach were common [see STORY about Bimbo's 365 Club.]
After Julian's participation in the 1939 GGIE, he was offered and accepted two shows in New York City. In 1941 Julian made his New York City debut at The Newhouse Gallery, as well as The Gallery of Modern Art.
The original Fair had opened February 18, 1939, and would ultimately close September 29, 1940. The Fair's theme, emphasizing unity between Pacific nations, would last no longer than the Fair itself. It had been planned that the Fairgrounds would become a part of the "new" San Francisco airport after the Fair closed, however world events would intervene and the US Navy would take over the land and buildings as part of the upcoming war effort, building a large presence on the island, along with the new Alameda Naval Shipyard. Julian would spend the war years, in the US Army, where he would ultimately marry his first love, Hilde.
Jan 2017, The Main Administration Building on Treasure Island.
The only remaining building from the Great 1939 Exposition.
Today, both the Fair Grounds on Treasure Island and the Navy Shipyard in Alameda are abandoned. There remains only one, `Main, Administration Building' from the '39 Expo, still standing on Treasure Island. While it is nearly abandoned, it does offer a glimpse into the ornate grandeur of the past.
Jan 2017 - Interior of the `Main Administration Building' on Treasure Island.
Jan 2017 - The Bay Bridge and City of San Francisco, seen from Treasure Island.
There is proposed new housing and related commercial development for Treasure Island, with hopes and promises, of resurrecting the `Administration Building' as a living Museum. And surely, somewhere, there are photographs to be found, of Julian's work at the Fair, as well as more study paintings by Julian to be discovered.
*Photo of Julian Painting at the 1939 GGIE from Newspaper Article in the Julian Ritter Estate Archives. The Artists Estate retains all copyrights to the original image.
The Journey to Julian's Last Las Vegas Painting
JULIAN RITTER - HOWARD HUGHES - THE MOB - THE SILV...


Don't start off with too many discs. Only take 1 putter, 1 midrange, and maybe 1 or 2 drivers.
Focus more on your form than the discs you are throwing.
Start with mostly understable discs and midranges.
Learning to throw a putter and midrange will improve your form and make learning to throw a driver much easier.
When learning to throw a driver, the run-up is extremely important and will be key to improving distance. Learn the X-Step. This will help turn your hips away from your target and increase power.
Use your whole body when throwing, not just your arms. The throw involves your legs, hips, back, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hands/fingers.
Follow through after every throw.
Play with Pros or other competitive players to get tips and see their form.
The 2011 Memorial in Phoenix, Arizona would have to be the most memorable tournament for me. After finishing my first round, I knew I had played extremely well, but had no idea I would be sitting in second place going into the second round. I had never been on the top card at an NT before and Disc Golf Planet TV was there doing live coverage. All of my friends and family were watching me play that extremely nerve racking round on their computers at home. It was awesome and made me feel like the sport is continuing to go in the right direction. I continued to play consistent and managed to stay in the top 10 the whole tournament. It was my first and only $1000+ cash of my career. Every time I look back on that moment, it reminds me of how much my dedication to this sport can truly pay off.
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Most consistent overstable fast distance driver in my bag. I use this for shots that I need to finish left between 350-450'. Great headwind driver, very trustworthy!
My go-to distance sidearm disc.
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Insanely overstable utility disc. I love this for both backhand and sidearms under 300'. You know exactly what it's going to do, hyzer!
Very predictable overstable mid. If I need to throw a slow hyzer under 350' or a shorter shot into a headwind, I'm grabbing my Verdict.
All around one of the best discs out there. This would be the disc I would use in a one disc challenge. The Truth is my go-to midrange for my predictable straight shots around 330-380'.
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text:
The Copperplate Collection: How Masonic Certificate was Made
February 24, 2022 March 1, 2022 Ratirat Osiri
The use of copperplate printing technique can be dated back to the middle ages. A plated copper is engraved in fine detail by a skilled engraver, creating a mirrored illustration. By pressing the inked copperplate on parchment, it can create prints in large volume. Prior to modern printing technology, Masonic certificate was largely produced with this technique.
The copperplate is a much rarer artifact compare to the certificate and lithograph. Nonetheless, the four copperplates in the collection came from different origins and they were the significant parts of Masonic history. They are available on exhibit display and online museum.
Copperplate of Master Mason's certificate of St. Simon and St. Jude Lodge No. 12 of Fishkill, New York. Engraver, P. R. Maverick. MW Edward M. L. Ehlers, Donor.
Copperplate of Knight Templar certificate from Ireland. A. P. Moriarity, Donor.
A copperplate for Masonic apron. Found in collection. Engraver unknown.
Copperplate of Grand Lodge of New York's Master Mason Certificate. Found in collection. Engraver unknown.
A certificate in the Grand Lodge collection made of the copperplate above.
Proceedings of The Grand Lodge of New York Now Available!
Tracking the Cornerstone Plate's History


text:
What Are Your Suggestions For Designing Puzzle Levels?
Your Blog » What Are Your Suggestions For Designing Puzzle Levels?
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Use the grid to note down a simple clue. Commence with one of the easiest clues, that gives you a easy reality matching two pieces of info collectively. For instance, "Anna is wearing a blue shirt." Uncover the row of your grid labeled "Anna", and adhere to it till you get to a square underneath the column labeled "blue". Make a circle in this square to show that Anna and the blue shirt are connected.Here's more info about Recommended Internet Page visit our web site. Take, for instance, Bryce's favourite puzzle. With no providing too considerably away, it relies on a hidden laser (electrical) that triggers a sensor tucked into the eye of a portrait (software program) that can only be activated by precisely positioning a series of mirrors (mechanical). Given that pretty significantly almost everything you see in an escape space is custom-built, you can bet that most items in the room are going to come into play at some point. Make mental notes, and see if working backward assists, especially if you see a portrait of Admiral Nelson with sort of a wonky eye.investigate this site A couple of months ago I had a discussion on Twitter with Thomas Grip, the brains behind Amnesia: The Dark Descent , the Penumbra series, and now SOMA , about overused elements in horror games. Item 55: Use a mirror to make it seem as if a clue is within arm's reach. When players reach for it, they will discover only empty space. Notion 14: Hide objects that are clearly connected all through the area and require players to locate them all and use the total quantity to resolve yet another puzzle.The advantage of the Reduce the Rope star strategy is that it permits a self imposed difficulty level, you can select to get more stars to make the game tougher, which widens your audience and also stops folks obtaining stuck. If it is a linear puzzle game, as soon as there's a puzzle that a player can't solve, that's as far as they will progress, so getting techniques to 'soft solve' it can be advantageous (or not if that's not what you're going for). Again, as a lot as possible, I suggest rewarding truly clever players rather than punishing dumb players.By and large, escape rooms are curated experiences. As soon as the elevator is at the best, run left. The people will follow above you and will fall off the ledge down to your level. Lead them back to the elevator to take them to the bottom floor. Run correct so the group can aid you open the big door. Have the folks throw you to the higher ledge and portion approaches with them.The number at the finish of each and every row and column tells you how many sections of vessel are to be located in that line, and in what order they appear. Where a digit is higher than 1, it could refer to complete vessels or to sections of separate vessels that lie in adjacent squares.WEINTRAUB: As you can see, there are two principal sections, the grid on the left and the entry list on the right. Now take a appear at the third little pane in the reduced right corner, labeled DB" for Database." Most puzzle building applications can be loaded with a curated clue database. The one shown here is supplied by the puzzle constructor Matt Ginsberg Matt is also the artificial intelligence specialist behind DrFill , the crossword solving pc that frequently — and to the endless aggravation of us human solvers — finishes American Crossword Puzzle Tournament puzzles in 10 seconds or significantly less.Concept 94: Give players a cup of a clear beverage tasting it is the only way to figure out which nearby container (lemon-lime soda, club soda, water) contains the next clue. Tip #3: Some puzzles have multiple options. If one particular answer leads to a dead end in the game's environment, try retracing your methods and charting a path to an alternate exit.Winning approach ideas from a lengthy time player of Marvel Puzzle Quest. Idea 15: Require players to step into a set of footprints printed on the floor in order to open a door. Start building the puzzle by connecting all of the edge pieces together into lines. Employing the box image as a reference, arrange the lines of edge pieces subsequent to their corresponding corners.Most jigsaw puzzles do not have the same quantity of pieces vertically and horizontally. Square jigsaw puzzles are more most likely to have the same quantity of vertical and horizontal pieces, but even then you cannot be certain. Harm reduction: Lessen incoming damage of a given element, or in response to players health falling under specific thresholds.Now you happen to be in yet another large open space. Run all the way to the left to uncover a box. You are going to need to have that. Drag it to the proper and hide behind it when the doors in the background open. This will hide you from the folks who come via the door. Proceed to the area on the proper.This example, from our printable game Escape Area Z , requires players to notice the zombie missing from the Polaroid, reduce it out, and overlay it to study a message. Naturally, the genre took a massive step forward with the arrival of the smartphone. The App Retailer is packed full of brilliant puzzle games.


text:
package org.killbill.billing.entitlement.plugin.api;

import java.util.UUID;

import org.killbill.billing.catalog.api.BillingActionPolicy;
import org.killbill.billing.entitlement.api.BaseEntitlementWithAddOnsSpecifier;
import org.killbill.billing.payment.api.PluginProperty;
import org.killbill.billing.util.callcontext.CallContext;

public interface EntitlementContext extends CallContext {

    public OperationType getOperationType();

    public UUID getAccountId();

    public UUID getDestinationAccountId();

    public Iterable<BaseEntitlementWithAddOnsSpecifier> getBaseEntitlementWithAddOnsSpecifiers();

    public BillingActionPolicy getBillingActionPolicy();

    public Iterable<PluginProperty> getPluginProperties();
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
All things are subject to interpretation. Whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth.
Partisan Lines
Home Forums > Politics, Religion and World Events > Politics >
Alec Baldwin charged
Discussion in 'Politics' started by SmalltownMN, Jan 19, 2023.
Ignore Thread
SmalltownMN Active Member
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainme...aughter-fatal-rust-shooting-district-attorney
My first question...........what the heck took so long to bring charges?
SmalltownMN, Jan 19, 2023
Robert Ransom, Andy and Mopar Dude like this.
What U ignore Well-Known Member
The American Justice system is clogged up. No such thing as a speedy trial anymore. Then, when found guilty all the appeals go on for years.
What U ignore, Jan 19, 2023
Robert Ransom and SmalltownMN like this.
Mopar Dude Well-Known Member
Sometimes bad karma does come back to haunt you.... It is such a sad, sad story, but arrogance can only carry a person so far before it comes back to haunt them.
Mopar Dude, Jan 19, 2023
Robert Ransom, CoinOKC and SmalltownMN like this.
toughcoins Rarely is the liberal viewpoint tainted by realism
There's only one way Baldwin could have hit Hutchins, and that was if he pointed the gun in her direction.
Here's what I learned early, and never forgot. Never point a gun at anyone . . . ever . . . unless you intend to shoot them.
Stupid is as stupid does, and Alec Baldwin is exactly that . . . Stupid in caps.
I'll hold my breath while waitin' for Long Rifle's reply . . .
toughcoins, Jan 19, 2023
Robert Ransom, Mopar Dude and SmalltownMN like this.
I think someone brought live ammo to the set just to get him. I don't think whomever it was intended him to kill anyone. Just scare the heck out of them due to the sloppy mistakes he was making and getting some of the crew mad.
Robert Ransom likes this.
GeneWright Well-Known Member
I'm still confused still on why they use real guns at all. A replica incapable of firing is just as good. Most real guns are probably touched up with CGI in post anyway.
GeneWright, Jan 19, 2023
GeneWright said: ↑
There's more to it than you think, and the work they'd have to do in CGI to make it realistic is far more expensive than the real thing.
toughcoins said: ↑
I suppose, but so little about Hollywood movies are generally realistic anyway. What's wrong with stylized?
Unless a movie is intended to be unrealistic throughout, it gets distracting if certain scenes stick out as being insufficiently realistic.
Think of the number of times you've fired or seen guns fired in real life, and visualize the kick or recoil, and how the human body absorbs that energy. If you just fake it with a replica and leave it to editing to add sound alone, you lose that visual body dynamic from the film, and that's a pretty tough thing to edit back in.
I might be pretty unimpressed with a film which was realistically rendered up to that point and then fell flat in a scene where such a corner was cut. I don't know that studios want to take that chance.
If you just fake it with a replica and leave it to editing to add sound alone, you lose that visual body dynamic from the film, and that's a pretty tough thing to edit back in.
Not anymore, and it's not sound alone.
Visuals have come so far that we no longer even need actors to bear their own likeness anymore. In the recent movie Gemini Man, Will Smith meets a younger version of himself (time travel I think, didn't see the movie). Both characters are played by Will Smith.
The point being we're quickly entering the era where you won't know the difference anymore. Most movies these days are use at least some CGI for backgrounds and props
CoinOKC T R U M P - 2 0 2 4
My opinion is that Alec Baldwin certainly didn't mean to kill the girl. But, he DID kill her. Now, it has to be decided whether he was negligent or not. He was also one of the producers which means that he should have had a tighter rein on what was happening on the set. I've heard that cost-cutting measures were being implemented and it might have had something to do with why the gun wasn't properly checked. I suppose that will be up to a jury to decide.
Regardless, Alec Baldwin is still an -edited-, but I don't think a person should be convicted simply because he IS an -edited-.
CoinOKC, Jan 19, 2023
SmalltownMN likes this.
CoinOKC said: ↑
He was charged with involuntary manslaughter, same as the armorer. I think that sounds fair given what we know about the situation.
What U ignore likes this.
charley Well-Known Member
I don't know about all this, but in my day, we pointed our cap guns and kept firing. When we ran out of caps, we just yelled BLAM! BLAM! YOU'RE DEAD!!
When we wanted to test the fire power and acoustics of the caps, we got different size rocks, and we would keep stacking the caps and striking them until we reached the level we wanted. At that point, we would set traps all over the yard, sometimes with strings attached to pull the rocks onto a previously readied stack of caps, or throw the rocks until we hit the hidden cap pile. Sometimes the rocks would hit the other kid, but that was a bonus, because the kid would have to leave the fight to go home to stop the bleeding or restore his eyesight. I sort of think that is what happened on the Baldwin movie set. Jesus, all he had to do was yell "BLAM BLAM YOU'RE DEAD!"
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ACTORS TODAY? I could do better in my backyard gunfight, back in the day.
charley, Jan 20, 2023
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You completely missed my point . . . that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and that the human body reacts to the charge in the chamber of the gun. Absent a charge, there is no physical reaction.
I understood, what I was getting at is that we can easily recreate those reactions digitally now
justafarmer Well-Known Member
Oh come on. Except for scenes depicting exaggerated sawed off shotgun blasts; Hollywood hasn't given realistic recoil any consideration since the Tom Mix days.
justafarmer, Jan 20, 2023
charley said: ↑
When we wanted to test the fire power and acoustics of the caps, we got different size rocks, and we would keep stacking the caps and striking them until we reached the level we wanted.
Wish I would have known you as a kid. I just stole my granddads hammer and gave the roll a good hard smack... Which in return would earn my backside a good hard smack for rummaging around in granddads tools.
charley likes this.
justafarmer said: ↑
And that speaks to my point. Today Hollywood pats itself on the back and makes a big deal of going to such great lengths to impart realism in as many other areas as they can tackle, yet cast aside the nuances of ballistics as unworthy of their attention.
At one end of the spectrum, I can't count the number of times I've watched 200 lb men lifted off their feet by an itty-bity 1/4 ounce bullet . . . or, at the opposite end, the number of gangsta-held pistols that should have sprained thumbs (gravity acting on the mass of the handgun doesn't help offset recoil in that orientation).
I'll believe CGI can do an admirable job of filling in for real ballistics when I read an article about how well CGI models the ejection of the cartridge, the subtle translation and rotation of the forearm and gun due to recoil, the muzzle flash, etc.
Until then, I think that, as close as you can get to the real thing really is better.
Andy Well-Known Member
A person is dead because another person's ego.
1.There are simple rules to gun safety that anyone with a gun should know and not think they are above knowing.
2.This was not the first time someone died on set so no excuses
3. Blanks can kill as well and that has also happened on a Hollywood set with Jon-Erik Hexum.
The women is dead, Baldwin pulled the trigger.
Andy, Jan 20, 2023
Andy said: ↑
#1 is key. That is where the negligence lies.
What U ignore and Andy like this.
Hunter Biden making conspiracy...
JoeNation posted Feb 1, 2023 at 9:15 PM
FBI trying to regain confidence.
What U ignore posted Feb 1, 2023 at 11:20 AM
Swiss Cantonal gold coinage
John Kamps posted Jan 28, 2023 at 9:20 PM
Mopar Dude posted Jan 26, 2023
Five cops arrested for beating!
What U ignore posted Jan 26, 2023
Admin. Spin is spooling up the RPMs
Obama Won't Say Whether Or Not He...
CoinOKC posted Jan 24, 2023
Mike Pence Joins The "Veep"...
Holy "edited".. Classified...
JoeNation posted Jan 24, 2023
I told you so....Classified Docs.
Oath Keepers
Former FBI agent investigating...
An Audentio Design design creation.


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Q: Implementing simple group chat in Android I'm currently working on an application that uses google maps to create Chat session.So my App will create a particular chat session only for the user's who are currently visible on google maps.
Which is the best way to do this either using webservices or Sockets??? and how to achieve this??
I've read about XMPP protocol but still don't have idea how to go further with this.Any documentation or tutorial will be a great help.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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What are Germany's new coronavirus social distancing rules?
23 March 2020 | 11:04 am
Germany has implemented drastic restrictions on public and social life, as the country tackles the coronavirus pandemic. But it appears some states think they have better plans in place.
Escaping the pandemic: France's luxury sector is booming
France is home to some of the biggest luxury brands in the world. While many everyday businesses have struggled to bounce back from the health crisis, it's been just the opposite for the most exclusive French labels. Jean-Noël Kapferer, professor emeritus of marketing, talks us through the success of luxury brands bouncing back from the pandemic. We also see how the luxury sector is making its way into the second-hand market, bringing in a whole new clientele.
Drug laws: Germany plans to legalise recreational cannabis
This week has seen a new chancellor take the helm in Germany: Olaf Scholz is leading a never-tried-before coalition of his own Social Democrats, as well as the Greens and pro-business Liberals. They come to office promising to get a hold on Covid-19, keep the economy stable – and bring some liberal changes to the EU's biggest economy, including the legalisation of recreational cannabis.
Did anti-vaxxers in Germany stage a huge kiss-in protest?
Germany recently tightened sanitary measures on unvaccinated people. An image of an anti-vaxxer kiss-in protest in Germany is circulating widely on social media, as per Deutsche Welle? Also, many on social media are comparing the current sanitary measures to Nazi Germany's 1933 'ahnenpass' and 'Gesundheitspass.'We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.
5 years later, Germany remembers victims of Berlin Christmas market terror attack
On December 19, 2016, Islamist attacker Anis Amri drove a stolen truck through a crowd in central Berlin, killing and injuring dozens. Five years later, the background to the attack remains unclear.
Coronavirus digest: Netherlands begins snap lockdown
The shutdown was initiated over fears of the rapid spread of the omicron variant. Meanwhile, Germany's health minister has ruled out a lockdown before Christmas. Follow DW for the latest.
Covid and jobs: How the pandemic has changed the way we work
Around the world, people have had to change how they work because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some of those changes look set to become permanent. What could all this mean for European employers, employees and work-life balance? We take a closer look with two MEPs.
How has the pandemic changed the way we work?
The entire workforce had no choice but to develop new skills and experiences during the pandemic. Our population has been forced into a crash course on modern technology, and the result is that more people than ever have the skills and knowledge to work effectively from anywhere.
Are unvaccinated children really banned from Christmas markets in Germany?
'Tis the season… for emotional manipulation. These images show children seemingly barred from a Christmas market and Father Christmas being dragged away by police. But they are being wielded to pull on people's heartstrings as the holidays approach, with the fake news mill continuing to twist the facts.
Germany expels Russian diplomats after park murder conviction
Russia has ordered two German diplomats to leave in response to the expulsion of two Russian envoys after a German court's ruling that blamed Moscow for the killing of a Georgian citizen in Berlin two years ago.
Germany: Anti-COVID measures protest of 5,000 turns violent
At least one officer was injured and 11 demonstrators were arrested in an unofficial rally in Munich as police described the behavior of protesters as "aggressive."
Afghanistan suffering 'humanitarian catastrophe' says Germany Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock
The German foreign minister said more needs to be done to help Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban takeover. Some 15,000 people which Germany vowed to take in are still stranded there.
COVID: Germany records first death from omicron variant
The person who died was between the ages of 60 and 79, according to the Robert Koch Institute health body. Germany has also registered a spike in omicron infections in recent days.


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Painted glass doors of a flamenco bar in Madrid
The Beatles: It's All Too Much (1969)
Graham Reid | Jul 19, 2018 | 1 min read
Recorded at the tail-end of the Sgt Pepper sessions in 1967 but not released until early in '69, this George Harrison-penned song has often been dismissed, perhaps largely because it appeared on the soundtrack to Yellow Submarine – a movie the Beatles had little to do with – and was there alongside Harrison's lemon-lipped and cynical swipe at their Northern Songs publishing company, Only a Northern Song.
But there's a lot more going on in the LSD-inspired piece which elevate it above another make-weight in the animated Yellow Submarine (which also included Lennon's piano rocker Hey Bulldog, excised from the original print of the film and only restored decades later).
The opening salvo of feedback was unique in the Beatles' catalogue and although it has failings ("all the world is birthday, so take your piece but not too much" rates low on the lyrical totem pole) it stands at an interesting midpoint between psychedelia, and Harrison's spiritual and secular passions.
With trumpets and bass clarinet, and the chanting undercurrent it is pure British psychedelia, Lennon was clearly into this song as he and Harrison provide crisp lead guitar parts and McCartney obviously enjoys the "too much" chant at the end.
But Harrison's emerging spiritual leanings coupled with acid come out in some of the lyrics ("floating down the stream of time . . . it makes no difference where you are or where you want to be").
But this is tempered with typical British reserve and in one line Harrison encapsulates the difference between "turn on, tune in, drop out" America of hippies and British scepticism: "Show me that I'm everywhere and get me home for tea".
At the time however Harrison was still infatuated by his wife Pattie Boyd (who he had married the previous year) and that secular love is scattered throughout: "When I look into your eyes, your love is there for me, and the more I go inside the more there is to see, it's all too much for me to take, the love that shines is all around you".
That might also be spiritual of course.
That earthly passion appears towards the end when he lifts lines from the Merseys' song Sorrow ("With your long blonde hair and your eyes of blue") which Bowie would also later cover on Pin Ups.
Yes, it's not up there with any of the Beatles finest moments and doesn't rate a mention in Rolling Stone's The Beatles 100 Greatest Songs (which is about half their catalogue).
But as a sliver of studio created spiritual and secular acid-pop it is certainly worth a revisit . . . especially with headphones and a little preparation.
For more on-offs or songs with an interesting back-story see From the Vaults
More from this section From the Vaults articles index
The Monkees: Can You Dig It? (1968)
Just as Bob Dylan tried to demolish the myths which had built up around him with his Self Portrait album in 1970, so too the Monkees tried -- with even greater success than Dylan -- to shake off... > Read more
The Creeps; She's Gone (1986)
One of the chief pleasures of being a fan of garageband rock -- that retrogressive genre between primitive pop and raw rock -- is that you never have to be surprised. Garagebands sound much the... > Read more
HATE MAIL RECEIVED, ACKNOWLEDGED AND IGNORED: And The Horse You Rode Into Town On
It has been some time since I had hate mail, and while I can't say I miss it I always used to read the letters with interest and thought about what the people had to say. Then I chucked them away.... > Read more
Erina, Central Coast Australia: Bottling up the passion
When a micro-brewery is called Six String and the company logo is a guitar pick you do feel slightly stupid having to ask. "Ah, that's my business partner Chris," says... > Read more


Also, on 29.03.2014 an X1 Class Solar Flare resulting in 3 separate #CME to deliver a Earth Glancing blow with possible Grid Interruptions.
FB Post by Madtown Preppers.
The screenshots [above] are from March 26th , into the 27th — showing precursor earthquakes — made note of these events in two different website posts.
IMPULSIVE SOLAR FLARE SCRAMBLES RADIO SIGNALS: On Saturday, March 29th, the magnetic canopy of sunspot AR2017 erupted, producing a brief but intense X1-class solar flare. A flash of extreme UV radiation sent waves of ionization rippling through Earth's upper atmosphere and disturbed the normal propagation of terrestrial radio transmissions.
I do not issue this "watch" lightly, and hope things calm down very soon.
However, until things begin to cool off, I'm left having to issue an urgent 'earthquake watch' for certain areas along the edge of the North American Craton.
Over the past several days, I've been warning for this movement to take place.
The screenshots below are from March 26th , into the 27th — showing precursor earthquakes — made note of these events in two different website posts.
PASADENA, Calif. — Earthquake activity in the New Madrid Seismic Zone in the central United States does not seem to be slowing down. In a new study published in the journal "Science," seismologists Morgan Page and Susan Hough of the U.S. Geological Survey investigate whether current quakes in the region could be aftershocks of large earthquakes that occurred 200 years earlier.
Using extensive computer modeling of aftershock behavior, they show that the dearth of moderate (Magnitude 6) earthquakes following the series of large earthquakes in 1811-1812, combined with the high rates of small earthquakes today, is not consistent with the long-lived aftershock hypothesis.
A debate has swirled in recent years, fueled in part by past studies suggesting that continuing New Madrid seismic activity could be the tail end of a long-lived aftershock sequence following the 1811-1812 earthquakes. If modern activity is an aftershock sequence, the argument goes, then there is no evidence that stress is currently building in the zone. Instead, Page and Hough conclude that the current level of activity must be the signature of active, ongoing processes that continue to generate stress in the region –stress that we expect will eventually be released in future large earthquakes. In other words, the New Madrid Seismic Zone is not dead.
The paper, "The New Madrid Seismic Zone: Not Dead Yet," is available online. Additional information about the New Madrid Seismic Zone and its history is available from the USGS online.
A minor geomagnetic storm watch has been issued by the NOAA space weather prediction center (SWPC). A couple of coronal mass ejections stemming from eruptions around 2017 may deliver glancing blows to our geomagnetic field by late on April 1st. Sky watchers should remain alert during the next several days.
Good morning. Below is an updated image of the visible solar disk on Sunday. Solar activity reached high levels during the past 24 hours thanks to an X1.0 solar flare around region 2017. The event was associated with a 10cm Radio Burst (TenFlare) measuring 360 sfu, a Type II Radio Emission with an estimated velocity of 4508 km/s, and a coronal mass ejection (CME) that appears to be directed mostly north of the ecliptic. Region 2017 also produced a low level M-Flare (M2.1) on Sunday morning at approximately 11:55 UTC and was responsible for a Type II Radio Emission with an estimated velocity of 879 km/s. A CME is now becoming visible in the latest STEREO Ahead COR2 imagery. More information to follow regarding this event once additional imagery becomes available. The active region is showing signs of decay, however it remains magnetically complex and could produce additional isolated solar flares. All other visible numbered regions remain stable. A few low level C-Class flares were observed overnight around a new region now rotating into view off the southeast limb.
Stay tuned to SolarHam.com for the latest information. Also be sure to check out SolarHam on Facebook and click the "Like" button for another great way to stay informed.
Eyes on the #Yellowstone Caldera as recent activity of Massive Releases of Helium-4 and Quakes being unreported in the region.
With all the activity in CA and South America in recent Weeks could show a precursor to further activity inland.
February 19, 2014 — (TRN) — Some worrying developments are taking place at the Super Volcano located beneath Yellowstone National Park; the kind of developments that were seen shortly before other volcanoes erupted. Not only was there a sudden rise in the elevation of the ground, and development of new cracks, but a gas called Helium-4, a very rare type of Helium, has begun coming out of the surface.
Over the past week, several reports have been coming in from viewers, telling me to check the charts in Yellowstone. People saying the charts are showing UNREPORTED activity on multiple stations across the famous Supervolcano (national park). Indeed, activity was occurring this past week, but NOT being counted on the USGS public feeds as earthquakes.
Earthquakes at Yellowstone not being reported? What is this madness?


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I think I have a solution for this one, see the attached diff.
members dependant from the metatype.
adds one to the size, to have the sentinel in place.
a good name and place for it.
work from Python and that I can add __slots__ to them.
out as base type for my own C types.
Can somebody please have a look, if there are subtle errors?


Chester is a 9-10 yr old Westie, still full of energy and is in very good health! Chester has loads of cheeky terrier personality, but is actually quite a sensitive soul, who can come across as a bit aloof when he's around the kennels, but really he just confused as to why he's without a home and is desperate to find his new best friend and have lots of company. He gets very upset if he's left alone and barks/scratches at doors, so needs a home where he won't be left alone, even if there is another dog in the home, as it's people leaving him that he gets upset about (this will improve as he settles, but we are looking for a home where he will be left as little as possible). He loves his walks, walks nicely on the lead and loves playing with his toys even more (but doesn't like to let you have them back!!). Squeaky toys are his absolute favourite! He is good with other dogs, he has always lived as the only dog, but could live with a calmer dog, no cats! He cannot live with children, and needs a calm home where he can be left alone to snooze if he wants, but he does enjoy a cuddle.


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So, the government's drive in this direction should be lauded and thumbed up. Voting in any society should not be seen or treated as a privilege, but as a RIGHT and DUTY by any citizen. Or that is the expectation. This is especially so in a democratic and free society; where such elections are expected to be free and fair. But what sounds very troubling is the manner in which such an exercise has been carried out, that has left many thinking whether we are living the George Orwellian dream. Many have been left concluding that this is over the top, while others will see it as "voter caging". Our authorities would be wise to remember that voters tend to reject overreach and distraction.
I am not sure if there is any provision for such in our constitution. Forcing people to register or vote technically takes the free and fair element out of the whole process. And if I should ask, are people required to declare the party they intend to vote for as well? I know that I may be taking the biscuit here, but I am fast becoming surprise-proof when it comes to our politics these days. And to make matters worse, reports have it that the exercise ends on 16th April; just 10 days to complete. Phew.
Judging by such an action by our authorities as reported, (I hasten to add) does that beg the question why are people turning up their noses at their civic duty? Is that something the authorities should be asking and trying to address? For starters, there have been lots of complaints that the process is so laborious that it loses any hint of appeal. Many people have described the process as so time consuming, lasting several hours. In addition, some people feel that some of the questions are so inappropriate or inapplicable that it will require an Einstein to answer. I once heard of questions along the lines of "what age was your mother when you (registrant) were born? In the kind of society that we live in, how many people will ask their mothers such a question? I know of better ways to attempt suicide or initiate homicide.
We are all aware of the government's effort to go digital with most of our public services. That is admirable. But as we all know, technology also comes with its own headaches and some of these glitches can be unavoidable; more so in our 6th world environment. But in trying to register for voting, are the questions also geared towards getting information to populate census related statistics? Is this an exercise of 2 for the price of 1? I do not profess to be a specialist in demographic studies, but I struggle to see how much relevance such a question could have. Or are we trying to quantify the rate of teenage pregnancy, by asking the age of someone's parent at the time of their birth?
Another issue that the authorities could have considered for this supposed lack of interest in the process is voter apathy. Is there a possibility that voters have become plain apathetic about politics? Do voters now think that it is not worth the inherent stress that comes with the whole voter registration? Have they lost their enthusiasm? I hope not. Have people lost hope and confidence in our political system? Have they lost confidence and hope in our politicians? Is politics an expensive past time for the few now? But if so, you don't need to pass an NPSE exam to figure this out. Instead of conjuring what many will see as draconian methods to corral people into what should be an exercise of free will, should the authorities not be raising their noses to smell the coffee?
If the government is desperate and rightly so, to get as many people to register for the elections; which is its duty and a good one at that, should that gesture not be extended to its citizens in the diaspora? Many in the diaspora have been left feeling disenfranchised by their inability to take part in our elections. As a result, many feel like outsiders; or better still, FOREIGN CITIZENS. Come to think of it, is it not the actions or lack of them by our leaders that is responsible for much of the exodus in the first place? Take a look at our resources and try to justify why many have become voluntary exiles today. For God's sake, someone just stumbled over a 906 carat diamond last month. With proper management and accountability, 90% of Sierra Leone visa applications to the west should be marked "TOURIST".
Interestingly, the presidential aspirants have not missed the trick to court the support of those in the diaspora. During their "manjalaji" (fund raising) activities in the West, some have been heard imploring citizens in the diaspora to "go and register" in Sierra Leone; as if there was a free ride waiting on the runway. The gesture is cool, but wouldn't it be easier to provide such a facility in all the embassies and consulates in the first place? What does it take to re-enfranchise our people? Are people in the diaspora only good for their remittance value? Try quantifying how many households are Western Union friendly. Then you can begin to fathom the contribution that people in the diaspora are making towards our economy.
But again, there are some people who feel that those in the diaspora are only considered important for "fundraising" value. There are those who will argue that this is not true. As a matter of fact, Ernest Bai Koroma's government created the office for diaspora affairs; the first of its kind. Wow. We know that voters don't decide issues, they just decide who will decide issues. If our democracy is to succeed, voters must have faith in the electoral process. There are some who will dismiss such concerns as voter ignorance. But we should remember that the ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all. "Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education." (Franklin D. Roosevelt).
Voter turnout comes down to organizing, educating and activating. Get into activation mode. IT IS YOUR RIGHT.
Who said that stupidity is a handicap, in politics?


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The Honourable Elizabeth A. Baker
Booking & Online Store
Sample Library & Packs
Current & Past Projects
AGGRESSIVE PILLOW TALK
Baker & Corder Collaborations
STARS OF DIFFERENT HUES
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Modern Fables
Please don't call me a composer, classical musician, toy pianist…
A strange thing happened to me recently, I was introduced to someone in conversation as a "composer" and immediately, I felt an oppressive set of walls rapidly closing in on my soul. I felt artistically constrained by the meaning of the word "composer" but moreover I felt that in assigning this label to my person, that I was betraying the other parts of my creative self. I've always had my hand in a lot of different media and each one has brought me a sense of centeredness.
Pianist. Toy Pianist. Author. Composer. Engineer. Lecturer. Non-Profit Administrator. Arts Entrepreneur. The list has been growing rapidly and it still doesn't feel like an accurate representation of who I am as a woman, let alone as an artist. We live in a world where "branding" is a reality due to an increasingly commercialised society, which creates a problematic situation whereby I have to create a definition for my body of work. For the past several months, I have been turning over ideas of a group of words that would succinctly describe my current place artistically, but would afford enough flexibility in meaning that I would not feel the dark foreboding walls surrounding me for quite some time, if ever again.
I thought about calling myself a "multimedia artist" but that rings with so many connotations of a visual body of work, particularly a digital media portfolio, that I wrestled for weeks with trying to accept the term. Eventually, an epiphany… New Renaissance Artist!
The word renaissance as most adults may recall from grade school history class, signals rebirth and revival. Historically, the term Renaissance has referred to people who were well versed in a vast array of subjects including art, philosophy, science, and literature. As an artist and personally, I feel as though I am constantly going through a revival, a transformation, and a rebirth. I'm always looking to push myself further in my sonic practice but along the way I become fascinated with other subjects that I may or may not have studied previously. I return to old subjects with a new outlook. Infamously, one of my mentors declared "…most people change their molecules every seven years. Elizabeth changes her molecules every seven months." While Renaissance may conjure images of dusty Renaissance fairs, with people in ornate costumes and giant turkey legs, my purpose in prefacing Renaissance with New, is to signal that we are and I am in a place for a fresh look at revival. There have been many other Renaissance periods, including the Harlem Renaissance (which as an African-American woman, I can identify deeply with from an artistic standpoint.), but my purpose is to embrace the term away from geographical or chronological prejudice. I am a New Renaissance Artist. I embrace a constant stream of change and rebirth in my practice, which expands into a variety of media, chiefly an exploration of how the sonic world can be manipulated to personify a variety of philosophies and principles both tangible as well as intangible.
A change is coming and by the end of the 2016, I hope to have fully integrated this new description of myself. I am now asking anyone seeking to speak or write, about me with the new identification of New Renaissance Artist. I've kept this secret for several weeks, as I wanted to be sure that this was the right course of action. I can safely say that the change has been immediate. I feel open to new possibilities. The walls have come crashing down, and a forest of vibrant colors surrounds me with new places waiting to be explored. A fresh spring breeze encircles me, and I feel as though I can finally breathe artistically.
~ Elizabeth A. Baker – New Renaissance Artist ~
Elizabeth A. Baker
Life & Things, Music Journaling
art, audio, branding, composer, engineer, harmonium, meditation, music, music composition, music philosophy, new music, New Renaissance Artist, performer, philosophy, pianist, piano, self, sonic, soul, toy pianist, toy piano
New Renaissance Artist
2021-2022 Harvard Radcliffe Fellow
Currently somewhere on Planet Earth
elizabeth [at] elizabethabaker.com